1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing controller for performing image processing in cooperation with an image forming apparatus, an image forming system including the image processing controller, a method of controlling the image forming system, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a technique for controlling the image forming system in which the image forming apparatus capable of shifting to a power saving state and the image processing controller perform image processing in cooperation with each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a demand for power saving of apparatuses increases, an image forming apparatus has come to be widely used which is equipped with a function of shifting to a power saving state on condition that the image forming apparatus has not been operated for a predetermined time period. For example, when a predetermined time period or longer has elapsed after termination of jobs, such as printing processing by a printer section or scanning processing by a scanner section or when a predetermined time period or longer has elapsed after termination of communication with an external apparatus, the image forming apparatus shifts from a normal standby state to the power saving state.
For such an image forming apparatus capable of shifting to the power saving state, there has been proposed a technique which prevents frequent return from the power saving state to the normal standby state (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-203464). In this technique, it is determined whether or not packet information received in the power saving state satisfies conditions for inhibiting return from the power saving state, and if the packet information satisfies the inhibiting conditions, the image forming apparatus is inhibited from returning from the power saving state, to thereby prevent wasteful power consumption.
By the way, there has been proposed an image processing controller which is connected to the image forming apparatus, and performs image processing in cooperation with the image forming apparatus. Also when the image forming apparatus is connected to this image processing controller, there is a demand that in a case where no printing processing or the like has been performed for a predetermined time period or in a case where the image forming apparatus has not been accessed from other information processing apparatuses on a network, the image forming apparatus shifts to the power saving state, and power consumption is prevented from being caused by wasteful return from the power saving state.
However, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-203464, whether or not the image forming apparatus is caused to return from the power saving state is determined based on only job information input in the power saving state, and hence the status of the image forming apparatus which is to be caused to return is not taken into account. Further, also in a case where the image processing controller is connected to the image forming apparatus, when the image processing controller receives a print job, the image forming apparatus is caused to return from the power saving state without taking the job and the status of the image forming apparatus into account, and the job is transmitted to the image forming apparatus. In a case where the image forming apparatus is thus caused to return from the power saving state without taking the status of the image forming apparatus into account, this results in causing the image forming apparatus to frequently return from the power saving state.
Further, the input of a job sometimes causes the image forming apparatus to return from the power saving state in spite of being incapable of immediately executing print processing, and can hinder the image forming apparatus from being powered off according to a setting of automatic power off.